When you go out there, you're not just representing your country or the NBA: you're representing your beliefs. You want to play hard for Someone who died for you.
The initial feelings when you step into the Olympic arena representing your country, your community, representing yourself can be really overwhelming.
I always knew that whenever you go out there, you're not just representing yourself. You're representing a heritage that's behind you, your culture, so you always have to do things, like, bigger, badder, better.
At the end of the day, you're representing a team, you're representing a city, you got to go out there and play.
Winning an NBA championship is the biggest thing that can happen professionally because it's the top. But representing your country-with more than 30 million people cheering for you and then seeing you up there on the podium-it's hard to find any more words to put on that.
Representing your country is what you want.
I think it's important at the end of the day you know obviously playing in the NBA is a great thing, but representing your country at the highest level is something totally different.
There is always a pressure if you play every game and especially when you are representing your country.
The Olympics is about representing your country, and if you get an opportunity to play you give it all you have.
I'm a representative of something that's greater than myself. I'm not just representing myself or my country: I'm representing Christ and what He's done through me.
Obviously representing your country, having U.S.A. on your chest is one of the most important things you can do to give back to your country.
It's the best feeling, representing your country, and I always want to perform and give 100% for the team.
I grew up watching as much Olympics as I could, checking out all the sports. As a kid, you dream of playing your sport and representing your country and seeing the famous rings.
I'm representing the United States. And I'm representing the United States, and my office is representing the United States day after day in front of the court. And I think it's the right thing to do, to carry that out with some dignity and some respect for the process and respect for the institution. And so that led me to just, you know, move the dial a little bit in the direction of calmness.
I'm a representative of something that's greater than myself. When you see me out there on the track, I'm not just representing myself or my country, I'm representing Christ and what He's done through me. I have a responsibility to show His love and show others what He's done for me. It's also freed me up.
I think it's important to maintain this momentum and especially when you are representing your country, you have a lot of pressure of people around you and you have to be at your best behaviour.
Representing your country is a highlight in everybody's career.